Juan Martin delPotro enters semifinal of Sydney International

World number five Juan Martin delPotro recovered from losing the second set to beat RadekStepanek and book a place in the semi-finals of the Sydney International on Thursday.

The Argentine, who boasts a huge forehand, downed the Czech Davis Cup hero 6-4 3-6 6-3 to set up a last-four clash against Russia Dmitry Tursunov, who advanced with a 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 win against Uzbek Denis Istomin.

Top seed Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion who has worked his way back up the rankings after wrist surgery, needed his big serve to get him home after Stepanek levelled the match.

“Radek improved his game in the second set. I was positive, waiting for my chance, and I played a fantastic two points in the third game of the third set to break his serve,” delPotro said.

“Then I served OK. Just doing my job and I closed the match.”

Del Potro, 25, broke in the 10th game to take the first set, but 35-year-old Stepanek, who has featured in the top 100 for the past 12 years, broke three times in the second set to square the match at one set apiece. With his big serve and trademark crosscourt forehand, delPotro took charge in the decider and broke twice to seal the win.

Read the latest and breaking news on AfternoonVoice.com. Get live English news about India and the World from Politics, Sports, Bollywood, Business, Cities, Lifestyle, Jobs and Much More. Register with AfternoonVoice.com to get all the latest news updates as they happen.